Businesses urge more funding for applied nanotech R&D

A new industry report identifies lack of venture capital and patents as two of the barriers to the commercialisation of nanotechnology in Europe.

A report entitled 'Nanotechnology in Europe - ensuring that the EU competes effectively on the world stage' identifies a series of measures to be put in place to remove barriers to the commercialisation of nanotechnology in Europe as "it is evident that this is desired as there is a huge potential for application-driven technology commercialisation."

The report is a result of the outcomes of a Nanoforum survey on nanotech commercialisation in Europe and a series of workshops held in June 2007. It was drafted by the European Nanotechnology Trade Alliance (ENTA), which represents the interests of nanotechnology businesses across Europe.

To overcome barriers to the commercialisation of nanotech in Europe, the report urges more application-driven funding for nanotechnology and more training and communication activities.

Referring to one of the workshop presentations, the report also argues that "lack of venture capital and lack of patents, in comparison with the rest of the world" is a problem in Europe. Lack of capital is due to risks of nanotechnology, which are described as "imminent to investors who know little about the area". The risk areas referred to are customer acceptance, health and safety.

Nanotechnology is widely perceived as a new industrial revolution that has the potential to bring about, for example, new ways to cure diseases or contribute to sustainable development by delivering cleaner production processes. However, huge gaps remain with regard nanotech-risk assessment, and everybody agrees that more research on the health and environmental hazards of nanoparticles is needed.

Environmental and health NGOs are even calling for a moratorium to be applied on the technology and commercialisation of its several applications, already on the market, until independent and peer-reviewed risk-assessment studies are completed.

SPECIAL REPORT / Nanotechnologies that deliver fertilisers to plants offer promising ways of improving farm productivity while reducing the risk of water contamination. But the scientists behind a new Swiss-funded study caution that while the technology is still evolving, potential risks must be considered.

Europe has failed to learn the lessons from many environmental and health disasters like Chernobyl, leaded petrol and DDT insecticides, and is now ignoring warnings about bee deaths, GM food and nanotechnology, according to an 800-page report by the European Environment Agency.

Lawmakers in the European Parliament's Committee for Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) have rejected on Wednesday (12 February) a proposed regulation which included a definition of "engineered nanomaterials" in food.

Every year more than three million workers are victims of a serious accident at work in the EU and 4,000 people die in workplace accidents. The Commission today (June 6) published a new strategy framework on Health and Safety at Work for 2014-2020.

Nanotechnology deals with particles which are invisible to the eye, but policy issues surrounding the technology are looming large.

Nanotechnology opens a raft of opportunities for European business and consumers. How can the continent address public concerns with safety issues and novel technology to ensure that Europe does not get left behind in the nano race?

The European Science Foundation (ESF) has published a Forward look report on European nanomedicine . According to the report, Europe is at the leading edge of nanomedicine, with the potential to transform medical care and research.

While the Union's cautious approach to granting market authorisation to new technology applications like GMOs or products derived from nanotechnology has meant that EU has not suffered from any major backlash, it could also mean the bloc is missing out on major opportunities to improve its competitiveness, argued a policy analyst from a Brussels-based think tank in an interview with EurActiv.com.

Managing the Effects of Nanotechnology , a report published by the Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars, argues that better and more aggressive oversight and new resources are needed to manage the potentially adverse effects of nanotechnology and promote its continued development.